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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rash — hasty
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bound — tied together
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bound — certain
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pass — a permit
  18. kid — child
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cap — of ice
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com